Georgian Olympic champions Lasha Talakhadze, Lasha Bekauri named best athletes of 2021

Georgian Olympic champions Lasha Talakhadze and Lasha Bekauri have been named as the Best Athletes of 2021 by the Georgian National Olympic Committee.

Judoka Lasha Bekauri and weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze won gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Talakhadze won gold medals at all three major weightlifting tournaments held in 2021. First, he claimed gold at the 2021 Moscow European Championship and then became an Olympic champion in Tokyo.

Talakhadze earned his fifth Weightlifting World Champion title and broke three records in the process in the International Weightlifting Federation competition in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on December 17.

Judoka Lasha Bekauri claimed four international medals in 2021. He won a bronze medal at Doha Masters 2021, which was followed by three golds at Tel Aviv Grand Slam 2021, European Seniors Championship 2021, and Tokyo Olympics 2020.

The Georgian National Olympic Committee awarded the best Georgian athletes in various types of sports:

• Discovery of 2021 – Olympic Hope (Women) – Mariam Kerdikashvili, canoe
• Discovery of 2021 – Olympic Hope (men) – Leri Abuladze, wrestling
• Best Athlete in Winter Sports – Moris Kvitelashvili, figure skating
• Best Female Athlete of 2021 – Eter Liparteliani, judo
• Best Coach (women’s sports) – Lali Dolidze, artistic gymnastics
• Best Young Athlete in Sports – Giorgi Magrakvelidze, water polo
• Best Coach of 2021 – Lasha Gujejiani, head coach of judo team
• For Professional Coverage at the Tokyo Summer Olympics – journalist Lasha Goduadze